Washington Park Intermediate School
School Initiatives - SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Year 2 Revision — 2005-2007
STEP 1 DATA
ANALYSIS OF DATA: PRIMARY (K-2)
G-MADE is a group mathematics assessment and diagnostic evaluation. Scores have been reported by item analysis covering the areas of concepts and communications, operations and computation and process and applications. From the results of the G-MADE the growth scale value range of our students are as follows: Kindergarten – 434 to 483, First Grade – 450 to 491 and Second Grade – 448 to 506. This assessment was administered September 20, 2005. We had 121 kindergarten, 149 first graders and 152 second grade students tested. This test will be administered again on the following dates – November 30, January 27 and May 26. This is the first school year that the G-MADE assessment has been given. We are using these results to help drive curriculum to address individual strengths and weaknesses of our students. G-MADE data shows weaknesses in algebra, time, measurement and money. Our number one priority is money, followed by time, measurement and algebra.
DIBELS is the tool used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our K-2 students in reading. The following areas are evaluated – letter naming fluency, initial sound fluency, phoneme segmentation fluency, nonsense word fluency, oral reading fluency, retell fluency and word use fluency. From the results of the DIBELS data the following scores have identified students:
Kindergarten
- Intensive – 26 students
- Strategic – 45 students
- Benchmark – 51 students
First Grade
- Intensive – 16 students
- Strategic – 44 students
- Benchmark – 83 students
Second Grade
- Intensive – 24 students
- Strategic – 24 students
- Benchmark – 89 students
DIBELS data shows weaknesses in Kindergarten – initial sound fluency, First Grade – nonsense word fluency and Second Grade - oral reading fluency. Twenty students in kindergarten scored at risk in initial sound fluency and 26 in letter naming fluency. Thirty-one first grade students were at risk in letter naming fluency, 35 in nonsense word fluency and twelve scored at the deficit level in phoneme segmentation.
We are implementing the Horizon reading program, Language for Learning, Write Source and Houghton Mifflin Math series. All series are research-based and have been proven to improve student performance. Many remediation sessions have taken place utilizing the LeapFrog computerized program. In addition, students benefit weekly from an additional reading and math problem solving class. Our third grade PSSA scores and second grade TerraNova scores from the school year 2004-05 attest to improved student performance.
ANALYSIS OF DATA: INTERMEDIATE (3-5)
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA):
GRADE 3 - 54% of the students were proficient in reading. These scores met AYP requirements. 70% of the students were proficient in math. These scores met AYP requirements.
Reading proficiency subgroups:
- 44 % economically disadvantaged
- 43% African American
- 60% white
- 14 % IEP
- 50% males
- 58% females
Analysis of anchor reporting categories for instructional recommendations:
- Comprehension and reading skills (56% were advanced /proficient)
- Understanding fiction text (59% were advanced/proficient)
- Understanding non fiction text (53% were advanced/proficient)
- Interpretation and analysis of fictio and non fiction text (52% were advanced/proficient)
- Identify and compare components within and across texts (57% were advanced/proficient)
Math proficiency subgroups:
- 64% economically disadvantaged
- 64% African American
- 73 % white
- 18 % IEP
- 67% males
- 74% females
Analysis of anchor reporting categories for instructional recommendations:
- Numbers and operations (71% were advanced/proficient)
- Demonstrates an understanding of measurable attributes of objects and figures (78% were advanced/proficient)
- Computes accurately and fluently and make reasonable estimates (76% were advanced/proficient)
- Measurement (68% were advanced/proficient)
- Geometry (72% were advanced/proficient)
- Algebraic concepts (60% were advanced/proficient)
- Data analysis and probability (67% were advanced/proficient)
GRADE 5 - 45% of the students were proficient in reading. Scores did not meet the AYP requirements. 60% of the students were proficient in math which did meet the AYP requirements.
Reading proficiency subgroups:
- 36% economically disadvantaged
- 28% African American
- 56% white
- NA IEP
- 43% males
- 47% females
Analysis of anchor reporting categories for instructional recommendations:
- Comprehension and reading skills (50% were advanced/proficient)
- Understanding fiction text (53% were advanced/proficient)
- Understanding non fiction text (59% were advanced/proficient)
- Interpretation and analysis of fiction and non fiction text (50% were advanced/proficient)
- Identify and compare components within and across text (56% were advanced/proficient)
Math proficiency subgroups:
- 50% economically disadvantaged
- 51% African American
- 67% white
- NA IEP
- 49% males
- 52% females
Analysis of anchor reporting categories for instructional recommendations:
- Numbers and operations (57% were advanced/proficient)
- Demonstrates an understanding of numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers and number systems (61% were advanced/proficient)
- Understands the meaning of operations, uses operations and understands how they relate to each other (52% were advanced/proficient)
- Measurement (63% were advanced/proficient)
- Geometry (64% were advanced/proficient)
- Algebraic concepts (56% were advanced/proficient)
- Data analysis and probability (65% were advanced/proficient)
SCHOOL DISTRICT FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS/CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENTS
Title 1 reading scores were identified by the Countdown Coach Program by Triumphant Learning. Students were assessed on grade level materials. They would not have been taught these skills yet. The content parallels grade level content that students will learn throughout the year.
- In third grade, 126 students took the test. Forty percent scored below basic, 36% scored basic, 17% scored proficient and 5% scored advanced.
- In fourth grade, 127 students took the test. Fifty one percent scored below basic, 28% scored basic, 15% scored proficient and 6% scored advanced.
- In fifth grade 149 students took the test. Fifty six percent scored below basic, 37% scored basic, 7% scored proficient, and 0 % scored advanced.
Title 1 math scores were identified by criterion referenced tests that assessed all of the eligible content for the third, fourth and fifth grade.
- In third grade, 128 students took the test. Fifty-two percent scored below basic, 39% scored basic, 9% scored proficient and 0% scored advanced.
- In fourth grade, 127 students took the test. Sixty-seven percent scored below basic, 33% scored basic, and no students scored proficient or advanced.
- In fifth grade, 152 students took the test. Eighty-two percent scored below basic, 18% scored basic and no students scored proficient or advanced.
We analyzed the regression of students in math skills over the summer. Students transitioning from third to fourth grade had a decrease of 22% in scoring proficient/advanced on multiple choice questions on the Title I math assessment. Students transitioning from fourth to fifth grade had a decrease of 16% in scoring proficient/advanced on open-ended response questions.
OTHER STUDENT DATA:
BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS BASELINE TESTS:
READING in third, fourth and fifth grade baseline scores indicated weaknesses in answering open-ended questions; reading, analyzing and interpreting literature; and interpreting and analyzing fiction/non-fiction text.
MATH in third, fourth and fifth grade baseline data scores indicated weaknesses in answering open-ended responses, measurement and algebraic equations.
4TH GRADE TERRA NOVA SCORES 2005-2006
- Reading
- 87% of students were partially proficient
- 64% had basic understanding of reading
- 68% could analyze text
- 50% could evaluate and extend meaning
- 49% could identify reading strategies
- Language
- 87% of students were partially proficient
- 49% could understand sentence structure
- 61% could perform writing strategies
- 57% could perform editing strategies
- Math
- 94% of students were partially proficies
Level 1 (step 1), level 2, (progressing), and level 3 (nearly proficient) are combined into the category "Partial Proficiency"
OTHER ASSESSMENT CONCERNS:
Thirty percent of the students in the present fifth grade class have not been in Washington Park School since first grade. They have been in more than one other school.
Of the fourth graders who took the TerraNova when they were in second grade, 20% have withdrawn and did not take the TerraNova as 4th graders.
There are 73 students in grades 3-5 that are enrolled in special education. Forty percent of those students are defined as mentally retarded.